NU Begins Preparations for the Big 12 Championship Game

Lincoln - After wrapping up the regular season with a win at Colorado last Friday afternoon, the Nebraska football team started preparing for the Big 12 Championship title game against Texas.

The Huskers went half-pads on Monday afternoon, as they put in a solid 90-minute practice in the Hawks Championship Center. NU focused on correcting execution errors it had made in its 28-20 win over Colorado last Friday.

"I thought we practiced well today," Nebraska Coach Bo Pelini said. "We got things corrected from Friday and it was a good start to the week. That's all it was, it was a start to the week."

Nebraska will face the Longhorns for the first time since the 2007 season, where NU fell in a nail-biter in Austin, 28-25. Texas ranks third nationally, with quarterback Colt McCoy at the helm of the Longhorn offense. The Husker defense hopes to shut down McCoy, who is sixth in the NCAA with 3,696 total offensive yards.

"He's a multi-talented guy," Coach Pelini said of McCoy. "He can run, he can throw. You have to defend the offense and make sure you have enough in there that takes care of his abilities."

NU also hopes to slow down Texas receiver Jordan Shipley, who ranks sixth nationally in receiving yards-per-game with a total of 1,292.

"He's a good player, a really good player," Coach Pelini said of Shipley. "He's quick, he's fast, he's tough. He's a good player.

In order to capture the Big 12 title next Saturday, Nebraska will stick to a basic game-plan against the Longhorns.

"This isn't a real complex game that we play," Coach Pelini said. "It's about tackling and execution and doing your job. I've never quite figured out the whole complexity aspect of it. We're going to do what we do."

The Huskers will practice again on Tuesday afternoon as it continues preparations for the Big 12 Championship game on Saturday at 7 p.m., in Arlington, Texas.